Just as good as two: Kilo Kish and Childish Gambino

A collaboration between two on why Kilo Kish and Childish Gambino are just as good as a twosome as they are inividual artists. The two artists feature on each others mixtapes, K+ and Royalty, and the two reviewers express the loves and the lows of their musicality.

The first time I heard Turquoise by Kilo Kish, I knew I had found my musical soulmate. Her vocal weakness aside, the model, rapper, singer and creative artist has earned my respect for channelling Missy Elliot’s frustration at the one minute man, and TLC’s no love for the scrub. Born Lakisha Kimberley Robinson, 24 year old Kilo Kish has the message, but not the voice as I have learnt.

Kish seems aware of this weakness, so compensates by doing what she knows she is best at, which is to coolly sing about her experiences with guys that suck because girls get angry too. She’s bugged by boys who want you to make them sandwiches but never want to take you out or try something new. Kish is for those of us who can’t really relate to those cheesy tumblr quotes about love or the heavy rhythm and blues of Jill Scott.

She describes her second mixtape, K+, as ‘meow-mix’ music. Although inclined towards hip hop, her sound and act is not typical of the current leading ladies of hip hop. She’s no Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalea; she’s not as ‘out there’, rhythmic or as bar-spitting. Instead she’s mellow and makes music with an intent, clarity and self-awareness that is so contagious it makes you want to casually flick your braids at all the lame boys who hit on your friends.

This catty-compilation reveals her no holds barred musicality and songwriting style. She’s an artist who does not need to dress up her lyrics with fancy juxtapositions in order to hook the listener. Instead, she sings and raps conversationally as if she was talking to just you. That is her modus operandi and it is helping her stand out in a musical generation where women feel the need to twerk and act like ‘bad bitches’ in order to be relevant.

On this mixtape, she has made some noteworthy collaborations with artists like Flatbush Zombies on the bone-chilling ‘Creepwave’. She’s also worked with rap-intellectual and rhyme master Childish Gambino on Ghost. (Sidenote, being the punchline genius that he is, Gambino could take any off these new school rappers in a freestyle and kill them, dead, shonile.)

—

In July, Kilo Kish released the Across EP; her third offering which is a music, visual and fashion collaboration with Maison Kitsune.

Actor, writer, comedian, producer and rapper. There seems to be no restrictions to the creative ability in Donald McKinley Glover, better known by his stage name Childish Gambino.

Released on 4 July 2011, R O Y A L T Y is the sixth mixtape by the emcee. Following his debut studio album, CAMP (released in 2011), this 18 track alt hip hop project exhibits the artistic range of Donald Glover as most of the tape is produced by him, and co-produced by beat makers Ludwig Goransson, Boi-1da and Skywlkr.

The California-born artist’s command of the English language makes him one of the most potent rappers recording at the moment. The social commentary, witty punch-lines and thought-provoking references in his lyrical content coupled with an ironically adolescent feel in his flow show why he cannot be overlooked or underrated in the world of hip hop; so much so that hes working with artists such as ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, RZA, Ghostface Killa, Danny Brown, and Chance The Rapper.

Look out for tracks on the tape such as ‘Black Faces’ featuring Nipsey Hussle as well as ‘Make It Go Right’ featuring Kilo Kish, the track which sparked their undeniable chemistry that would later see them work together again on Kilo’s K+ Mixtape.